Culinary Arts: First Season Of “SommTV” Streaming Service Launches (Video Trailer)

From a Food & Wine online review:

Currently available in what is being called a “charter period,” SommTV is billed as “a new video streaming service that loves food and wine as much as you do.” The platform promises to offer entirely new shows, films, footage, and educational masterclasses, as well as the archives of the Somm movies (including things like trailers) and additional licensed content. Access is currently priced at $9.99 per month or $74.99 per year, though that may change once the service has its full launch which is apparently slated for this coming March. Content can be streamed worldwide on the usual suspects of devices: Apple, Android, Amazon, etc.

To read more: https://www.foodandwine.com/wine/sommtv-streaming-wine-app?did=447253-20191022&utm_campaign=faw-wine-list_newsletter&utm_source=foodandwine.com&utm_medium=email&utm_content=102219&cid=447253&mid=25705137797

 

Health Podcasts: Stable Blood Sugar Can Lower Alzheimer’s Risk (NPR)

NPR Health News“The risk for dementia is elevated about twofold in people who have diabetes or metabolic syndrome (a group of risk factors that often precedes diabetes),” Holtzman says. 

…poor sleep is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s. So maintaining normal blood sugar levels in Alzheimer’s patients could improve their sleep and might even slow down the disease, she says.

Homebuilder KB Homes Discusses Smart Homes Of Tomorrow (Video)

From a MarketRealist.com online article:

The home’s adaptation is not only about automatically adjusting lights to match the circadian rhythms of the occupants or unlocking a door based on facial recognition. It’s also adapting over time to occupants’ needs. For instance, Bridleman describes walls that move to create new spaces or beds that fold into the wall creating an office space—all based on voice commands.

KB Home’s (KBH) SVP Dan Bridleman discusses the smart home of tomorrow and the work the company is doing to make the home the center of a smart ecosystem. Instead of traditional bespoke construction techniques, modularity and the off-site construction of building blocks or subsystems are the trends for new construction seen in the KB Home ProjeKt.

To read more: https://marketrealist.com/2019/10/kb-home-svp-talks-smart-homes/?utm_source=All+Users&utm_campaign=ce14e984dd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_10_08_08_21_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c410c51cdb-ce14e984dd-240973105

Top New Travel Videos: “Berlin Moves” Directed By Alex Soloviev (2019)

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: Alex Soloviev

Berlin Moves Travel Short Film by Alex Soloviev 2019

The very last atempt to describe infinity of capital of Germany. Berlin is big, loud, dark, green and overwhelming. No matter where you are, this city revolves around you for 24 hours. There will never be a tomorrow, it is always now, no matter what it means to you.

Berlin Moves Travel Short Film by Alex Soloviev 2019

Website: https://www.facebook.com/alexaafilm

Destination Travel: “Belle Époque Luxury” At Domaine Les Crayères Hotel, Champagne, France

From an Architectural Digest online article:

Domaine Les Crayères Hotel in Champagne, FranceChampagne is a lot bigger than it seems. Vineyards can be up to an hour away from each other depending on traffic, so it’s best to pick a home base in the heart of the region. The luxurious Domaine  Les Crayères was the former home of Madame Pommery’s daughter (Pommery was a 19th century French businesswoman who took over her husband’s successful wine business after he passed away). The space was transformed into a hotel in the early 1980s, where it still retains some of the Belle Époque sensibility from its previous owner.

Champagne FranceChampagne is one of those places in the world that there’s truly no bad season to visit. Yet, before you let the bubbles get to your head, remember to plan everything in-advance as many vineyards are small, independently owned, and can’t always accommodate walk-ins. The place is also very spread out, so you should consider renting a car or hiring a driver if you’re booking several tastings. Luckily, getting to Champagne is easy, as it’s only a two-hour train ride from Paris. In fact, some travelers even opt to simply make a day trip out of it. Time spent aside, the grandiose French architecture all the way to the glow of the vineyards will warm your heart (no, it’s not just the alcohol) and have you immediately wanting to come back.

To read more: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/design-lovers-guide-to-champagne-france

Top Camper Vans: Nomad Vanz Of British Columbia “Fits In All The Essentials”

From a Curbed.com online review:

Nomad Vanz camper van interiorOne of the most refreshing companies currently converting vans is Nomad Vanz. Based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Nomad Vanz builds custom vans for weekend adventurers or for full-time van lifers. Most builds use the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter high or low roof vehicles, although Nomad Vanz has done partial conversions for customers who own Ford Transits, Dodge ProMasters, and the Mercedes-Benz Metris.

We first met the Nomad Vanz crew at Overland Expo in 2018 where we ogled their showcase van Out of the Blue. Today we’re checking out their latest build, Jupiter, which transformed a bright red Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 4×4 Cargo Van into a home-on-the-go. The high-roof van features the shortest wheelbase (144 inches) offered by Mercedes, but Nomad Vanz still manages to fit in all the essentials, and more.

Step into the sliding side door and you’re struck by the van’s bright colors. A yellow floor is both durable and cheery, and red kitchen cabinets match the van’s exterior. A feature Chilewich wall adds texture to compliment the other colors, while gray storage upper and central cabinets balance out the design.

To read more: https://www.curbed.com/2019/10/21/20924626/camper-van-for-sale-sprinter-conversion-nomad-vanz

Boomers Retirement: Three Of The Top Hidden Costs Facing Retirees

From a Wall Street Journal online article:

“many people are poorly prepared for unexpected expenses” in later life, the study notes. Even worse, about one in five retirees (19%) and one in four retired widows (24%) experienced four or more shocks during retirement. The good news: Many older adults who get hit with stealth expenses appear to bounce back.

• Replacement costs. Big-ticket buys—a new furnace, updated appliances, a fresh coat of house paint—can put sizable dents in your nest egg. But most people don’t consider that these outlays can follow them into later life or that such costs can continue to add up for decades. A contributing factor: Many retirees underestimate their life expectancy.

• Relatives in need. This can hit you from two sides: aging parents feeling a financial pinch and younger family members who suddenly find themselves in a bind. With the latter, perhaps it can be an adult child who gets laid off or divorced, or a grandchild who needs help with tuition.

Costs in Retirement• Required distributions. Most people know that, after reaching age 70½, they must begin withdrawing funds from tax-deferred accounts (like IRAs). What they fail to understand are the ripple effects from these payouts. Required minimum distributions can, first, push you into a higher tax bracket and, second, translate into increased Medicare Part B premiums (which are tied to annual income).

To read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-expenses-people-often-forget-when-they-plan-for-retirement-11571321423

Health Care Costs: Top 5 Highest Paid Physician Specialties (PayScale.com)

From a Becker’s Spine online article:

PayScale LogoPayScale reports real-time salary data from over 54 million reports from job seekers, fact checking the data against private and public compensation data.

Here’s how average pay ranges for five physician specialties stack up:

1. Neurosurgeon: $401,499

2. Cardiothoracic surgeon: $387,451

3. Invasive cardiologist: $382,361

4. Orthopedic surgeon: $375,091

5. Gastroenterologist: $309,604

To read more: https://www.beckersspine.com/spine/item/47223-5-highest-paying-physician-specialties-neurosurgeon-no-1-at-401k.html?oly_enc_id=9129H5611090H0N

 

Poetic Travel Films: “Where The Sun Is Born – Japan” Featuring Charles Baudelaire By L’oeil d’Eos

Filmed, Edited and Directed by: L’oeil d’Eos

Against tide and on the sidelines of the crowd, it’s a confidential Japan that we present to you in this video. Condensed from our two recent trips to the Land of the Rising Sun, this film is an ode to the connection to nature and urban harmony that characterize Japan so well.

Where The Sun Is Born - Japan Cinematic Poem Short Film by L'oeil d'Eos 2019

The words of Charles Baudelaire respond to the images, or rather is it the opposite ?

There are atmospheres that you imagine more than others, and if someone had asked us the question earlier, it’s exactly with these images, these moments that we would have described Japan.

Where the sun is born, where effervescence becomes a sense of appeasement, where meditation and lifestyle become one.

Where The Sun Is Born - Japan Cinematic Poem Short Film by L'oeil d'Eos 2019

“GET DRUNK” by Charles Baudelaire

ONE SHOULD always be drunk. That’s the great thing; the only question.
Not to feel the horrible burden of Time weighing on your shoulders and bowing you to the earth, you should be drunk without respite.

Drunk with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you please. But get drunk.

And if sometimes you should happen to awake, on the stairs of a palace, on the green grass of a ditch, in the dreary solitude of your own room, and find that your drunkenness is ebbing or has vanished, ask the wind and the wave, ask star, bird, or clock, ask everything that flies, everything that moans, everything that flows, everything that sings, everything that speaks, ask them the time; and the wind, the wave, the star, the bird and the clock will all reply: “It is Time to get drunk! If you are not to be the martyred slaves of Time, be perpetually drunk! With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you please.”

Where The Sun Is Born - Japan Cinematic Poem Short Film by L'oeil d'Eos 2019

Website: https://loeildeos.com/videos-de-voyage/

Boomers Homes: Costly Modifications Needed To Stay In Your Existing Home

From a Kaiser Health News online article:

Homes for aging Boomers costly renovationsLeaving nothing to chance, the Cavners are making a number of modifications they might never need. For instance, neither uses a wheelchair, but contractors are making all doorways 3 feet wide for accessibility throughout — just in case. The master bath roll-in shower, flat and rimless, will provide room to maneuver and the master bath vanity is also at wheelchair-accessible height. Kitchen drawers, rather than cabinets, will allow easy access in a wheelchair. The Cavners are closely watching details of the renovation, but it wasn’t a hard decision.

AUSTIN, Texas — Chris and Dennis Cavner, in their early 70s, are preparing to move less than two blocks away into a 2,720-square-foot, ranch-style house they bought this year. But first a renovation is underway, taking the 45-year-old property all the way back to its studs. When the work is completed, these baby boomers are confident the move will land them in their forever home.

“We wanted to find a house that we could live in literally for the rest of our lives,” he said. “We were looking specifically for a one-story house — and one that had a flat lot, to age in place.”

To read more: https://khn.org/news/baby-boomers-aging-aging-in-place-retrofit-homes/